XVIII.
Back at the castle, paced the king,
with worried look. Presently
before him came the cops that he
had sent to catch Vanellope.
"What news?" King Candy asked with hope.
"Did you find her?" They signaled no.
"Oh, leave me now," cried out the king.
Upon another moment's thought,
hé turned towards the arras that
concealed a further room in back.
Striding down a metal plank,
came to a door, which glowed with light.
Locked it was—he entered code—
the door swung back. The major-domo,
Sour Bill, tied tether round
the monarch's waist. King Candy then
dived in the room, a darkened place,
approached the center, and looked around.
This inner sanctum was the place
where the game ran: 'twas the Code Room.
Boxes with the names of all
the racers glowed; connected with
clear wiring. Not just racers:
also fans; camera angles;
Jumbotron. All were connected
by the wires; and in the center,
the king's own box; and close at hand,
the Winner's Cup. Here King Candy
did peruse—he sought for something
foreign to't; and then, at length,
he found the thing: Ralph's medal!
He pulled it out, and held it close;
and in his pocket did it go.
As he called on Sour Bill
to pull him out, what might we see?
Reader:
floating in a corner dark,
a lonely box with wires none.
Yet on this box there stood a name—
a person truly of this game.
'Vanellope von Schweetz', it read.
Tamora and Felix now
flew overhead, in search of bugs.
Felix in a warm glow sat
and gazed upon fair Tamora,
not helping very much at all.
Annoyed, she looked sidelong at him.
"Your face is red—perhaps you should
give it a knock, to fix it up."
"Oh, ma'am, that's not an injury;
it's honey glow. I'd have you know
you are to me one dynamite gal—"
But at these words, poor Tamora
recoiled with shock—P.T.S.D.!
Her quondam fiancé—named Brad—
had often said these very words;
to hear them once again brought pain,
and left her in a state scarce sane.
She landed quick. "Get out!" she screamed.
"What have I done?" "Just go! Go on!"
He sadly stepped out of the craft;
she closed the door; took off, and left
our Felix standing, quite adrift.
Gathering his shaken wits,
Felix in the distance saw
a castle high upon a hill.
He set off there; he'd look for Ralph—
what else to do? He knocked upon
the castle door; at length, it opened.
Sour Bill to him asked "Yes?"
"I'm Fix-it Felix—not from this game—
and for my colleague Ralph I search."
"Wreck-it Ralph?" the minion answered;
"Yes! Yes! That's him!" good Felix cried.
"We should have locked him up before."
"Locked up?" "Won't make the same mistake
with you—" and S.B. pulled a rope:
a trap door opened, Felix fell
down a long shaft—into a cell.